Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.
“Dune: Part Two” follows after the first movie’s events. Stilgar (Javier Bardem), the leader of the Fremen tribe at Sietch Tabr on Arrakis, believes that Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), fuelled by historical prophecies, is their savior. After the fall of House Atreides, Stilgar and the Fremen tribe give refuge to Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), providing shelter for them.
As Paul learns their ways and customs, the Fremen discover that their Reverend Mother is dying, and because they believe Paul is their savior, they say Lady Jessica is the perfect choice to replace her, which she does. After drinking the Water of Life, a deadly poison fatal to males and the untrained, she uses her genetic memory to unlock new knowledge and abilities to help Paul become the Fremen’s prophet, Maud’Dib.
Paul leads the Fremen against Baron Vladimir Harkonnen’s (Stellan Skarsgård) spice production harvesters on Arrakis, and as a result, his production begins to plunge. Harkonnen, sworn enemy to House Atreides, demotes his nephew Rabban (Dave Bautista) for failing to stop the Fremen revolts. He promotes his nephew Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler), naming him the new ruler of Arrakis. As the Fremen continue their rebellion, it becomes clear that Paul must take on Feyd-Rautha in a battle to the death to decide the fate of Arrakis and the Fremen people.
“Dune: Part Two” is a complex and labyrinthine tale that is almost impossible to summarize in a few paragraphs, but everything becomes clear while you watch it. While I thoroughly enjoyed the first film, Part Two is filled with rousing action and beautiful character exposition. We learn more about Paul and his mother, Jessica, their past, and what house they really belong to.
“Dune: Part Two” is a monumental accomplishment for director Denis Villeneuve. He embodies spectacular visuals with enigmatic narrative exposition, a feat most filmmakers fail to achieve when blending big sci-fi and emotional dynamics. Most films rely too much on visuals to tell the story while the characters and storyline fade into the background. Here, Villeneuve blends both components to deliver a thought-provoking, breathtaking slice of cinematic history, teeming with jaw-dropping visuals and thrilling action set-pieces.
I would recommend seeing this in IMAX as the movie was filmed specifically for IMAX screens, and certain scenes, like watching Paul learn how to ride a sandworm, are not just visually exhilarating, but the thundering soundtrack and Hans Zimmer’s rip-roaring score bombards you aurally.
If you’ve ever tried watching David Lynch’s 1984 well-intentioned catastrophe, believe me, I’ve tried several times and never made it past the halfway mark, Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation puts everything into perspective. While there were six books in the ‘Dune’ series, Villeneuve is only adapting two of them. “Dune” (2021) covered the first half of the series’ first book, with “Dune: Part Two” covering the last half, and “Dune: Part Three” will be based on ‘Dune Messiah,’ Frank Herbert’s second novel in the series.
“Dune: Part Two” has an even bigger cast than its predecessor, filled with top Hollywood names such as Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Dave Bautista, Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Christopher Walken, and even Anya Taylor-Joy makes a brief appearance. I honestly thought the series would end with Part Two, but I learned recently that they are currently in pre-production on Part Three.
In many ways, I can’t help but compare these films to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Both were based on exceedingly long books but with auteurs like Jackson and now Villeneuve at the helm, these books are finally getting their long-awaited proper big-screen adaptations the way they were meant to be seen. If you want to see this but haven’t seen the first one, I’d recommend watching it to catch up. Then, sit back and enjoy one of the biggest, loudest, and most enjoyable sci-fi films in years.
In Theaters Friday, March 1st
